The Blue Marmara Voyage and the Scarf Signed by Haniye
Alpaslan Arslan applied to many different places to board the Mavi Marmara ship, but was met with negative responses. In 2010, he found the opportunity to participate in the Mavi Marmara journey through the donor quota by purchasing a scarf signed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at an auction at a charity bazaar organized for Gaza.
By using the money his wife Yasemin had saved to buy a car to help Gaza, Arslan not only supported the Palestinian people but also became the owner of this special scarf signed by Haniyeh. He has kept the scarf for 14 years and wears it around his neck at the commemoration ceremonies held after Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
Alpaslan Arslan stated that this scarf was very valuable to them and that it bore the signature of a leader who fought for years for the freedom of Palestine. While describing the process of participating in the Mavi Marmara journey, he used the following expressions:
- “Four people were going to get on the search and rescue team from Antalya, I was also on the team but I couldn’t be among those who got on.”
- “I applied everywhere to join the trip.”
- “I learned that the person who bought the scarf signed by Haniye at the charity bazaar in Alanya through auction will be able to get on the ship with the donor quota.”
Yasemin Arslan said, “I can’t buy a car when people in Gaza need an ambulance.” She gave the money she had saved to her husband and in this way, she found the opportunity to help Gaza and became the owner of a very valuable scarf. Arslan, who stated that she experienced very different emotions when she touched the signature on the scarf after Haniye’s martyrdom, stated that they won 200 thousand liras from the compensation case they filed against Israel due to the Mavi Marmara attack and spent this money on Gaza.
Yasemin Arslan stated that she had used her savings in a very valuable way years ago and said, “We value Haniye very much and she left us a unique memory.” Arslan emphasized that the story of the scarf, which started in 2010, continues in them and said, “We will continue to keep the scarf. It is the most valuable legacy I will leave to my children, it has a memory. God willing, When Gaza and Palestine are free, I will put this scarf around my neck and go there.”
Volunteers and members of the press on the Mavi Marmara ship, part of the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” that set out to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, were subjected to an armed attack by the occupying Israeli government in international waters on May 31, 2010, resulting in 10 martyrs and 56 injured.
